Four Chapters On
by Krastnjazz462
Summary: Clive X Flora. Four years after Clive's mobile fortress almost destroyed London, the Professor, Luke and Flora are together at a harbour side cafe when the Professor tells the two that Clive will be staying with them upon his release. Both Luke and Flora are stunned by the news and become even more stunned when they find themselves heading towards the London prisons that very day.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfic so I hope everyone gives me constructive criticism and advice! Since it's not a common category if you stumble upon this and read it please review :)**

It had been 4 years since London was attacked by the enormous mobile fortress that Clive had created. The morning streets of London were at peace and the citizens went on about their daily lives. The Professor, Luke and Flora were sitting in a cafe by the harbour side. In that cafe they could feel the fresh breeze brought in by the cool waters of the harbour as they chatted and sipped tea. What a normal cafe visit it was...until the Professor broke the news.

"What!" Luke yelled as he stood up and slammed his palms on the tea table.

Flora had nearly dropped her tea cup at the shock of the news as well as Luke's little outburst. The professor calmly looked up at the boy and reminded him that that was no way a gentlemen should act.

Luke sat down immediately, quietly apologising to the other customers at the cafe. He fixed his gaze on the Professor who was going to tell both Flora and he the details. After taking a sip of the delicious camomile tea the Professor had in his teacup, he continued.

"As I have stated, I have decided to take Clive in once he has been released from the London jails. He shall stay with us in the spare bedroom next to Luke's. That room is getting rather dusty with no one using it."

The Professor put on a troubled face as he thought about how dusty the room was. This gave Luke a big surprise because he thought the Professor should be worrying about trusting Clive instead. Flora who saw that Luke was becoming a tad annoyed decided to lighten the mood by jumping into the serious conversation.

"Professor what's your plan?" she asked, her big brown eyes lighting up in curiosity. Flora knew that the Professor wouldn't do such a thing if it were without good thought. Despite her thinking she didn't quite like the idea of Clive staying with them either, but rather than becoming irritated like Luke, she decided she'd take an interest in the Professors plans.

"Well my dear this all for your benefit" he stated.

Flora put on a puzzled look at hearing the statement. The Professors words also caught Luke's curiosity which helped him calm down. Both looked intently at the Professor with their eyes wide and their ears open. After taking yet another sip of his sweet smelling tea, the Professor opened his mouth to speak.

To Flora and Luke's disappointment, the Professor had been cut off by the loud chime of a rather large wooden clock at the back of the tiny cafe. As the chime went on ringing the Professor stretched out his right arm, checking his own watch to clarify.

"Oh look at the time, it looks like we'd better get going" the Professor said as he put his teacup down and got out of his seat.

"Going where Professor?" Luke asked as he and Flora also stood up.

The professor told the two he'd tell them in the car. He slightly lifted his top hat to the woman behind the cafe counter before opening the door so that they could all exit.

Once in the car Luke could barely wait for the Professor to tell them where they were going. His curiosity often got the better of him.

"Where was I?" the Professor asked to himself. "A yes we are heading to the London jails right now to go and pick up Clive"

There was silence in the car as the statement the Professor had made hadn't quite registered. Suddenly there was a loud "WHAT?!" coming from both Flora and Luke's mouths.

Rather than explaining anything, the Professor stayed silent; only smiling as they headed closer and closer to the dark and damp jails of London.

**I know its short but I felt that I shouldn't add the next part of the story till the next chapter. Just wait and see and I'll update ASAP**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey I have finally added my second chapter. YAY! Once again please help me to improve the story with your thoughts.**

Flora looked up at the large grey gates towering over her. A chill went down her spine as she imagined what sorts of prisoners were held there. She did like her murder mystery novels but the aura of the prison was just overwhelming. They were supposed to meet Clive within the jails but upon seeing Flora's shaken face, the Professor suggested they just wait inside the foyer.

The suspense was killing Flora and Luke and the loud ticking of the seconds hand on the wall clock wasn't helping. The Professor calmly stood there deep in his thoughts as he stared of into the hallway where Clive would supposedly emerge from.

Five minutes later, they could hear an officer and an uncanny voice come out from the dark hallway. It shocked them to see how unchanged the young man looked, apart from his height and the scruffy hair on his head.

Clive just finished talking to the officer when he turned to face the three of them. He showed a quick flash of surprise before returning to an emotionless expression.

"Professor, Luke, Flora, what a lovely surprise to see you" he said as he chuckled to himself. Much like his appearance his demeanour had hardly changed. He still had a rather Luke like feeling as well as tiny bit of cynical-ness to his current character.

"And how good it is to see you" the Professor greeted as he tipped his hat to the young man. There was an eerie silence that followed making Flora very uncomfortable.

Before long the silence was broken by the arrival of Inspector Chelmey. He greeted them as politely as he needed to before talking to Clive.

"Just because you have been released from your cell, doesn't mean the Scotland Yard will lay off the suspicions on you"

Clive only chuckled, making the Inspector reluctant to let him out.

"For the next two years we are putting you under the care of Layton. If within those two years your conduct is acceptable, we shall then consider you suspicion free. Although I'm even more bothered because that plan of yours to destroy London took more than a few..."

Before trailing slightly off topic, the Inspector gave a silent nod to the Professor which was returned with a tip of his hat. The inspector only grunted at the Professors gentlemanly character as he walked out of the foyer leaving the four of them behind.

Despite how the Professor and the Inspector interacted, Luke could see they had some sort of friendship between them. I mean how many times had they crossed paths on the adventures and mysteries they were on?

"Well. Care to explain what's going to happen to me" Clive asked in a rather impatient tone.

"Patience Clive, I shall explain once we return to the house. I don't quite like the atmosphere in the jails" the Professor said.

Clive smirked and replied "I rather don't like it either"

At last the rumble of the jail gates closing behind them was heard. Flora sighed in relief as she breathed in the fresh air from outside jail walls.

"Much better" the Professor nodded as he also inhaled the fresh air.

Clive enjoyed being outside the jails; it was comforting. Being stuck in a damp and dark cell for the past four years was horrible and finally his cravings for the outside world were satisfied with a single breath.

Flora looked at the unfamiliar man before her. Despite her slight fear towards him, she admired his peaceful face and stature. After only a few seconds she immediately stopped, her cheeks turning a bright red as she realised she had been staring. Thankfully he hadn't noticed she thought to herself as she hurried into the car ready to go home. The other three followed her lead and off they were driving home to the Professors apartment.

Upon arrival, the four of them sat down in the lounge room, ready and eager to discuss the future plans.

"Right. Now that we're all seated I shall give you the information you have been seeking" the Professor said.

Flora and Luke leaned in a little closer, seeming a bit more interested than Clive was.

"Upon hearing about Clive's release this year, I did a bit of my own research in regards to the process of people being released from the prisons. The document I read stated that they must stay with another household for a number of years; being regularly visited by the police to ensure they are not a threat to the city"

Clive nodded his head in praise at the Professors efforts. He never misses a detail he thought to himself.

The Professor continued "I was going to go to the prisons and volunteer to have Clive stay with us, but I received a letter from Scotland Yard asking if I was willing to take him in"

The Professor put his hand inside his pocket and revealed the very letter he had received. He handed it to Clive who verified its contents. Once he put down the letter, the Professor continued.

"The reason I wanted you to come live with us is because I want you to prove yourself"

Clive lifted a brow at the Professors statement. Both Flora and Luke were also confused. What did the Professor mean?

"Since Luke and I are constantly on the road fulfilling tasks for people, Flora is often left by herself and that worries me"

Flora could see where this conversation was going, and just when she was about to interrupt, Clive stood up and accepted the proposal before the Professor even finished. Both he and the Professor were satisfied, and it showed as they smiled.

"What is the meaning of this?" Flora complained as she to stood up. "You're still going to leave me at the apartment regardless!"

"On the contrary, if Clive is able to prove himself he shall act as your bodyguard on our journeys and that way I'd have peace of mind if you were to accompany us my dear" the Professor explained.

At this explanation Flora sat right back down feeling a little regretful at the way she had spoken.

"Right then. Now that that is settled, I think Clive should be made to feel at home. Luke could you prepare the bath for Clive while Flora and I quickly dust off the spare bedroom"

Luke nodded and went to do his task right away followed by the Professor and Flora. After a few minutes of sitting comfortably, Clive took a quick look around the house before going to the bathroom. He entered immediately shutting the door behind him. He stripped of all his clothes, eager to get into the tub to rid of all the filth on his body. He pulled the bathtubs curtain aside and saw it was filled with sweet smelling bubbles. He slipped in, feeling the hot and soothing water against his skin. Nothing had ever felt better he thought as he just lay there, pulling the bathtub curtains closed.

Five minutes after his entry he heard a squeak of the door opening. He sworn he had locked it. Suddenly the bathtub curtain was pulled open, followed by a shriek. He instantly opened his eyes and to his shock it was Flora staring down at him.

She closed the curtain as quickly as possible and ran out of the bathroom. On her way to her room Luke had seen her running and realised that Clive was in there.

Once Clive had finished the Professor brought him back to the lounge room and explained that Flora used the upstairs bathroom whilst the males used the downstairs bathroom. He apologized to Clive but he shook his head stating that Flora should be apologized to.

Flora lay down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. What had just happened? She lifted her face for a breath as she recalled the event. Her mind drifted off to remember Clive's lean and bare chest that was slightly moistened by steam. She also remembered his handsome face with his hair pulled back from his forehead with bathwater. Her thoughts made her blush hard and she buried her face even deeper into the pillow.

"Thank god for the bubbles" she said to herself as she drifted to sleep feeling rather weak.

Flora did not come out of her room till dinner time. She slowly walked down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen. The Professor, Luke and Clive were already seated at the dining table which was set up with a delicious soup. The Professor always insisted that he cook even when she told him she wouldn't mind to. She rubbed her eyes and sat down in the empty chair across from Clive. Flora ate her meal quietly refusing to look up at the fear of any eye contact with him. He saw she was uncomfortable and ate his meal quickly before heading off to his new room.

Suddenly Flora felt bad for making him feel unwelcomed. She ate her meal quickly and after packing up she rushed upstairs to her room. She dressed into her night gown and undid her pretty little ponytail; her brown locks of hair falling down to her shoulders.

She slipped under the blanket and closed her eyes trying to get some sleep. Unfortunately sleep was not coming. She tossed and turned as she tried desperately to fall asleep. Finally she couldn't take it. She knew why she couldn't sleep.

Flora jumped out of her bed and headed to Clive's room. She walked silently through the hallway before whispering his name lightly against the door. She thought a knock would awaken the Professor or Luke.

He didn't respond.

She could see light seeping out from the room and was sure he was still awake. She touched the door only in the slightest to find that it slowly opened. Gathering up her courage she opened the door and walked in.

There she found Clive lying on the bed asleep with a book in his hand. The faint light of the candle that was still burning on the table was what she saw from the outside.

She walked over to the bed and simply stared at his angelic sleeping face. She smiled a little, putting her hands to her face, admiring the sight. She rather enjoyed seeing him like this. It was different to his usual handsome face.

After admiring for a few moments longer she took the book from Clive's hand and placed it on the table. She then grabbed the blanket and lay it on top of him; tucking the edges in.

"I'm sorry for making you feel unwelcomed...good night" she said softly as she blew out the candle and closed the door.

That night Flora fell asleep the instant she got into bed; her conscience free of guilt and her heart at peace.

**My thanks to LastFebruary for motivating me to write.**


	3. Chapter 3

Today was Clive's second day living at the Professors apartment. The Professor had realised Clive hadn't many clothes or items he brought with him and decided he, along with Luke and Flora, would take him out to the street malls of London to shop with the allowance given by the police.

Flora got up bright and early, feeling absolutely rested after one of the most comfortable night's sleep she had ever had. She cheerily skipped to the bathroom freshening up before returning to her room to dress up and tie her hair. When she was done she looked at herself in the mirror. She suddenly felt conscious about the way she looked. She turned her face left to right, examining herself closely. After much deliberation, she decided she looked fine and headed downstairs to meet the rest of them.

After a quick breakfast, they all entered the car; the Professor and Luke in the front, herself and Clive in the back. She felt an awkward air between the two of them as they were seated next to each other. It wasn't like this yesterday, but then again quite a few things had happened that definitely led to this new atmosphere. She let out a sigh and fixated her mind on the clear blue sky above them.

Once the Professor had parked the car, everyone got out instantaneously. It had been a while since they had done some shopping besides buying groceries.

Without wasting a minute, the four of them entered the barber shop to get Clive's scruffy hair fixed. Without much thought Clive decided to stick to his previous haircut from when he was future Luke. He thought that the haircut suited him in the first place.

The next store they went to was a store filled with countless of men's fashion and shoes. Once again Clive picked similar clothes to the ones he wore four years ago explaining they were quite comfortable.

The Professor suggested Clive get a different colour and asked the owner of the store to choose.

The owner was a thin and cheery man. He spun Clive around looking at him from head to toe before snapping his fingers as ideas seemed to flood into his head. Flora giggled with amusement watching the man. Smiles had also crept up the Professors and Luke's face.

After continuing to watch the thin man frantically run up and down the store searching for pieces of clothing, they waited for Clive to get changed.

"Vwalah it is complete" the store owner said proudly as he stepped aside allowing the three who were waiting to have a full view of the outfit.

Flora's face lit up in awe whilst the Professor and Luke nodded their heads in approval.

Clive walked up to the full body length mirror to take a look at himself.

Clive's outfit was the same as the old but the blue shades were replaced with a fern green for his hat and blazer. The rest was replaced by a dark brown for his cardigan with gold buttons, a dull pumpkin orange necktie and white knee high socks.

(**note:** if you are having trouble picturing this, search a photo of Clive and then search the fern green colour on wiki)

Clive pulled at the tie and the sleeves feeling a little uncomfortable because he hadn't worn such clothes in a long time.

"Are you sure I look good in this?" Clive asked.

Flora walked over to him linking her arm in his trying to remove the awkwardness.

"I think you look rather dashing" Flora commented.

Clive immediately told the owner he'd like to buy these clothes which made Flora giggle. Although Clive hadn't moved an inch Flora could tell from his now awkward stance and his brightening red cheeks he was flustered by her. She let go after teasing a little while longer so that Clive could go pay for the clothing.

Clive walked over to the counter ready to pay. While he waited in line he thought about how he hated it when he was the one seen flustered or embarrassed. Flora seemed to enjoy herself all too much which made him a tiny bit angry. But then again he had seen her flustered. Flora may not have known but he knew of the many times she had stolen glances of him. Like the time she stared at him in front of the jail walls, the time he had seen her blushing face in the bathroom, and the time she had sweetly apologized to him and tucked him into bed. Clive, remembering he knew of all these events, smiled and decided to let his anger go.

After eating lunch and shopping a bit more, Clive held out his hand and revealed a surprisingly large amount of money that was still left to spend. Clive knew that all money that wasn't spent in the allowance was to be returned to the police and proposed they buy a dress for Flora. Flora liked the idea because she hardly ever went to buy new clothes.

The four of them walked into a small but elegant boutique that had caught Flora's eye. The boutique was filled with extravagant dresses that delighted the young girl. She immersed herself and looked around the store marvelling at almost everything. She had reached the back of the store and found a short and plump lady fixing the hems of some dresses. The lady looked up and Flora saw a spark in her eyes. She began to stare at Flora almost creepily.

Before Flora could walk away the plump lady grabbed her hand and chuckled.

"Come with me dear. You are the perfect size to wear my latest creation"

Flora was basically dragged into the storeroom by the lady to change into something; this slightly worried Clive.

While they were waiting, Luke had asked Clive to come with him to buy some ice cream. The line was so long that by the time they returned to the boutique Flora had already bought whatever she had tried on.

"You looked absolutely beautiful in that dress Flora" the Professor commented which ticked Clive off. Luke went over to Flora to hand her her ice cream. Without anyone noticing Clive fell to his knees and turned his hands into fists. As he hit the ground a dark shadow passed over him. Why did he have to miss that? he thought to himself.

In the car on the way home, Clive stared out the window and grumbled to himself. Flora had heard him say "stupid ice cream!" but she had no clue what he was on about. She only smiled at the wonderful dress she had bought and wondered when an opportunity to wear it would arrive.

As if she had planned it, an invitation to a ball was sent to them. The letter read,

_Dear Flora,_

_I would like to cordially invite you to my 21st birthday. It is going to be a grand ball held here at Dropstone. It would mean the world to me if you could attend for we haven't spoken to each other face to face in a long while. I miss you dearly._

_I would also like it if the Professor and Luke would attend as my grandfather Anton, is also eager to see them._

_Wear something absolutely dazzling (but you can't be prettier than me hahaha)._

_I also heard that you have someone else staying with you so feel free to invite them as well. The more the merrier!_

_Sincerely Katia_

Just as Flora had finished reading the letter she noticed that the Professor, Clive and Luke had also read it from over her shoulder. She smiled happily as she ran up to her room to look at the dress once more.

Clive was also happy for this was an opportunity to see her wear the dress he had bought her today. He could hear his heart thump extra loudly at the thought. To calm himself he went to his room to sleep. The only thought on his mind was about the day of the ball and how gorgeous Flora would look.

Unbeknownst to Clive, the day was going to turn out just like a fairy tale. And just like all fairy tales Clive was in for a chance meeting with the villainous character.

**I know it may be hard to imagine Clive in green but I wanted him to stray a little from the Luke-ish image. Sorry about that!**

**I will also update ASAP! Please continue to support this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who gave a review for the previous chapters! Please continue to support the story.**

Up bright and early, the Professor, Luke, Flora and Clive were on the Molentary Express making their way to Dropstone.

Some nostalgic feelings came over the three who had ridden this train before. The ride last time was pleasant, that is until they were gassed by the train conductor.

The minute they had left London station, a beautiful view of the countryside could be seen through the windows. The sun was shining brightly down on the vibrant green paddocks where cows and sheep grazed happily.

Everyone was so relaxed that time flew by and they were soon approaching Dropstone station. The Molentary Express made a loud squeaking noise before coming to a full halt on the tracks.

When the four got off the train, they saw a man that looked disturbingly similar to Nigel (the old Herzen butler), only younger. The Professor and Luke thought they were seeing things, until the man came up to them.

"Hello Professor, Flora, Luke. The young lady is expecting you" the young man said.

"Who might you be?" the Professor asked cautiously.

"I am the Herzen's butler, Nicholas. You might have met my father Nigel" he replied.

Luke let out a sigh of relief at the butler's words. He thought that the gas from Folsense had somehow reached the town.

Nicholas helped them place their luggage on top of a coach and ushered the four of them inside. Dropstone was a very small town that didn't need cars to get around in.

Nicholas lightly tapped the horses with the reins and they began to trot at a steady pace all the way to Katia's home which was also Dropstone's very town hall.

When they had arrived, they stood in front of a splendid white building. Opening the door to the town hall was Katia. She ran down the steps in order to greet Flora with a big welcoming hug.

"Welcome back to Dropstone" Katia said to them.

"And happy birthday to you" Flora replied.

Katia went and shook the Professor and Luke's hand as they also greeted her.

"Well Flora aren't you going to introduce me to your guest?" she asked playfully.

"Right! Katia this is Clive. Clive this is Katia" she said.

Katia then shook hands with Clive before ushering the four of them inside. Katia had them sit on the couch while she brought them tea and biscuits. Nicholas insisted he do that but Katia told him to bring their luggage in instead.

Putting down the tray of snacks and sitting herself next to Flora, Katia began to speak.

"Thank you so much for coming here" she said to them.

"No problem at all" they answered in unison.

"Where might Anton be?" the Professor asked the young lady.

"Grandfather is down by the lake, fishing with sir Nigel" she replied.

Luke sighed in relief again, knowing for certain that he wasn't hallucinating.

Katia and Flora were having a long awaited chat whilst the Professor sipped his tea and Luke ate the snacks on the tray. Clive stared at the two girls as they smiled and laughed together; he enjoyed seeing Flora so happy.

The activities were disrupted by the loud chime that signalled the hour.

Katia looked up at the clock and said "My my it's 5 o' clock already? Dear me we must be getting ready for the party"

Katia took Flora's hand, then her luggage and hurriedly took Flora to her room upstairs.

Nicholas directed the rest of them into spare rooms so that they could also prepare.

Whilst the three changed downstairs, Katia had already begun to interrogate Flora.

"Clive was it? Is he your boyfriend? Your lover?" she asked cheekily.

Flora's cheeks went a bright red at her friends embarrassing question.

"Not at all, he is simply staying with us" she replied looking down as she tried hide her face.

When Flora looked up she saw Katia smiling mischievously. Before Flora could say anymore, Katia declared "No matter. I shall make you even more beautiful than you already are just for him"

She quickly urged Flora to put on the dress she had brought. There was no escaping Katia today!

The Professor, Luke and Clive waited downstairs for Flora and Katia to come down. Nicholas however, told them the two would be walking down the huge staircase upon Katia's entry to the party. Nicholas guided them to the main hall that was already beginning to fill itself up with guests. He left them there and began to attend to other duties.

The Professor had spotted Anton and walked over to greet the old fellow. Luke went straight to the buffet table to look at all the delicious foods to eat. This left Clive alone to wander through the people.

As he walked amongst the crowd he bumped into a beautiful young woman which made him stagger backward. The woman had blond wavy hair and pretty blue eyes. She wore a red ball gown that revealed her cleavage. Clive apologized to the young woman and helped her to regain her balance. The woman stared into Clive's eyes, enraptured by his gaze.

"Did you come with a date?" the woman asked flirtatiously. Clive replied no and was going to walk away, but the woman continued to talk.

"How about a dance with me" she urged as she linked her arm in his. Clive knew he had to act gentlemanly, despite his will to remove her arm.

Just as he was bringing her to the dance floor, a loud fanfare was made. Everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and turned to the grand staircase.

Walking gracefully down was Katia and Flora. All the attention in the room had gone to the two of them; there were even awes of praise coming from people's mouths.

Clive's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat as he laid his eyes Flora. She looked ravishingly beautiful as she made her way into the hall.

Flora's dress was a light pink ball gown with off the shoulder sleeves. The top half was studded in clear beads that reflected the lights, whilst the bottom was covered in tulle fabric making the dress look enchanted.

Her smooth brown hair was elegantly braided down her back allowing only a few strands to come down the sides of her face. There was also an exquisite wreath of flowers that were lightly placed on her head.

(**note:** imagine the beauty to your heart's content lol)

Clive gulped when she had spotted him and made her way over to where he was. Upon seeing her approach Clive gave up on being gentlemanly and shook the other woman's arm off of him.

His heart raced rapidly as he got closer. When she was finally standing in front of him he thought his heart would jump out.

"You look very handsome Clive" Flora said shyly as she peeked at his hair which was gelled back very nicely. Flora liked Clive's usual hair but she always felt him more charming with it like this.

(**note:** remember the bathroom scene)

He stuttered a little but he managed to say "You look even more beautiful tonight"

Flora was now embarrassed by how loud the beating of her heart was and turned away in order for Clive not to hear it.

Clive thinking he had upset her, placed his hands on Flora's shoulders to turn her gently around. Her skin was so smooth and... hot. Clive looked up at Flora whose face was completely flustered. He realised he was holding onto her bare skin and immediately let go.

Suddenly the sound of a single violin followed by an entire orchestra filled the room.

Taking the opportunity, Clive held his hand out to Flora and asked "Shall we dance?"

Upon putting on such a gentlemanly act, Flora giggled and gently placed her hand in his. Clive guided her to the middle of the dance floor and began to lead her in a waltz. Flora concentrated hard on the dance, only looking down at her feet in order to not make any mistakes.

Clive laughed seeing how cutely she was concentrating.

"I'm beginning to get jealous of the floor" Clive remarked.

This made Flora trip on his feet and fall into his arms. She quickly backed away, completely embarrassed.

"How about this?" Clive asked as he lifted her slightly, allowing her to step on his shoes. Clive held her closely by the waist so she wouldn't fall. They began to dance again and Flora was finally enjoying herself.

When the song was finished, he let her down and they began to applaud the orchestra together with everyone else. As they applauded Clive saw it. The golden apple was gleaming brightly on Flora's chest.

It was the first time he had ever seen it. He knew Flora was the golden apple after years of observing Luke, but he didn't know why she was until this very moment.

After applauding Clive invited Flora to explore outside the main hall.

As they walked further away from the main hall, it got quieter. They stopped at an open courtyard near the gardens. Flora and Clive agreed it was nice to get some fresh air.

Even though it was just the two of them, Flora felt at ease. She twirled around gracefully in her dress and Clive watched her with a smile on his face.

The peace was quickly broken by the sudden appearance of a man from the shadows. He came from behind one of the court yards pillars and grabbed Flora by the arm. She screamed as she struggled to get his hand off of her.

Just as Clive was coming to her aid, there was a loud bang against his head. Clive fell with a thud to the floor, his vision slowly blurring. He saw Flora yelling his name as she desperately tried to reach him. He slowly turned his head to see who had hit him.  
It was person he hadn't wanted to see for the rest of life. It was Bostro. Clive's former underling that he had somewhat manipulated.

Finally everything turned dark.

When Clive came to, the Professor was shaking him awake. He slowly got up and snapped back into reality, frantically searching for Flora with his eyes.

"What happened my boy? Where's Flora?" the Professor asked in a hurry.

Clive shook his head indicating he didn't know. He looked down at the small steps where Flora was twirling earlier; something had caught his eye.

Just like the fairy tale where Cinderella had left her glass slipper, the only remaining traces of Flora was the wreath of flowers she wore and a ripped piece of paper with a red emblem on it.

**Wow, this chapter turned out longer than I expected. Oh no Flora has been taken, what will Clive do?!****  
****Oh and what was that piece of paper? Haha wait and see.****  
****I will update ASAP!**


	5. Chapter 5

**The awaited chapter is finally here, Yay! Hope y'all enjoy it! Thanks again to those who left reviews.**

Clive rested his arms on the railings of the trains back porch. The loud clanging of the train tracks had awoken him and he couldn't get back to sleep.

Worry had filled his heart, over Flora and where she was.

**Flashback**

Clive held the crumpled paper in his hand and examined it. The paper was actually a cheque, with a large sum of money left on it. Flora's captor would not have left this behind so he assumed Flora managed to leave it as a clue.

Clive went and brought the cheque to the Professor who noticed a red emblem at the very bottom right corner. It appeared to be the number seven that was encircled in red.

Clive couldn't believe his eyes.

"Professor, that symbol is from the Gilded 7 Casino in future London" he said hesitantly.

Clive then suddenly remembered that Bostro was also there; this was definitely the Family's doing.

Clive brought his eyes over to the wreath of flowers still lying on the steps. It had been his fault that Flora had been kidnapped. The Professor saw Clive was blaming himself and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

At that moment Katia came running down the marble walkway. The Professor explained what little he could to her and showed her the cheque.

"I recognise that emblem. It was on the invitation letter sent to my grandfather" she explained

"An invitation to what?" the Professor asked.

"A new corporation has appeared in London. They have just opened up a hotel and a casino and my grandfather, being a noble of Folsense, was invited to attend the grand opening. But since he has other matters on that day, he requested I attend for him" Katia answered.

"We shall take the first train back to London" the Professor said in a hurry. Without delay the Professor, Luke and Clive retrieved their luggage and took a carriage to the train station.

While they waited, another carriage arrived at the station. It was Nicholas and Katia with her luggage.

"I'm coming with you. You're going to need me to help rescue Flora" Katia proclaimed.

The Professor simply couldn't argue with her. She was determined to be part of their plans. Although he was worried for her safety, she could be a key asset to finding Flora's whereabouts as well as finding information about the corporation.  
The glowing lights of a train appeared at the station. The four of them, including Katia, boarded and they were on their way back to London.

**End of flashback**

The sun was rising, and Clive decided to force himself to sleep for the rest of the train ride.

The first thing they did after leaving the station was to head to the Professors apartment.

The Professor went over the plan again; making sure everyone knew their roles.

"Katia will attend as planned, but I want her to try gathering information about the corporation through other important guests, perhaps other nobles and potential investors.  
Since the Family knows what the rest of us look like we'll have to sneak in.

The best way is to act like hotel workers. The employees will be stressing about the amount of guests so their sure not to notice us slip in. Luke and I will search the hotel whilst Clive will search the casino"

Everyone nodded in agreement and they began to prepare their disguises for the evening.

The hotel and the casino were side by side, connected by a single glass hallway. The hotel and casino looked very high class and the extra lights made the grand opening superb.

As Katia made her way to the entrance, the three watched from behind the bushes.

"Katia Anderson, granddaughter of Anton Herzen. I believe my grandfather has already informed you that I shall be attending in his place" she said to the guards.

One of the guards flicked through the guest book and found her name.

"Please go through" the man said.

Katia took one last glance at the bushes before heading inside the hotel.

"Right, now it's our turn" the Professor proclaimed. Clive, Luke and the Professor were dressed as waiters and they planned to infiltrate the kitchens through the back door.

They stealthily snuck to the back of the hotel through the gardens.

"Just as I thought" the Professor whispered as he pushed the back door open.

The three snuck in only to be caught by one of the employees.

"What are you three doing slacking off?" Hurry and bring these drinks to the guests!" the man yelled.

Shoving a tray of drinks to each of them, the man pushed them out of the kitchen.

"Success!" Luke exclaimed.

"Everyone remember the plan? We will rendezvous at the kitchens" the Professor said.

Luke and the Professor headed to the hotel rooms whilst Clive crossed the glass hallway to the casino.

Katia had also begun doing her mission, talking to guests that might have an idea of the corporation's background.

_Meanwhile..._

Flora held onto the bars that encased her in a human sized bird cage.

"Let me out!" she yelled to the man who was guarding her.

"No can do young lady. The higher ups want you kept there" the guard replied.

What could they possibly want with me? I am just an ordinary female to the outside world.

"After all that yelling I've become quite thirsty. You could at least get me something to drink" Flora complained.

The man didn't budge. Flora continued to complain until the man finally gave in and left the room to get her what she wanted.

"Finally..." Flora sighed.

What she really wanted was for the man to leave so that she could solve the puzzle keeping her locked.

All the years living with the Professor and Luke broadened her knowledge and ability to solve puzzles. The lock clicked open and Flora smiled out of self-satisfaction.

She quietly stepped out of the cage and headed for the door. She slowly opened it and checked for cameras or signs of other people. 

There was no one.

She quickly raced out of the room and down the corridors. On her way to this place she was blindfolded so she had no idea where she was. Luckily she happened to pass by a large glass window and there she saw the Big Ben clock tower.

"Thank god. I'm in London" she said quietly.

Flora continued to run until she reached a large opening. Through it she saw where she was; she was in a casino. Flora didn't know a casino existed in this part of London. She let the thought pass and tried to figure out a way to get by without being obvious.

She hid in a storeroom for the moment and there she found a maid outfit. This will have to do she thought to herself.

Changed into the maid outfit, Flora made her way openly through the casino. The guests paid no attention to her as she walked on by.

Everything was going smoothly until Bostro and a couple of his minions walked through the casino. Flora quickly hid behind one of the slot machines; her heart beating intensely in fear.

"Hey boss I think I saw someone hiding over there" one of the minions said.

Flora was now panicking, she had been seen. Suddenly a hand covered her mouth and pulled her back. She began to tremble, not knowing what would happen to her.

She could feel the person's breath on her ear.

"Calm down Flora. It's me"the man said softly.

Flora pulled the hand from her face and turned around.

"Clive!" she whispered.

"Shhhh! Before you speak we have to get out of here" he explained.

Clive knew it was inevitable they would see them. So the minute Bostro turned to look, Clive tripped him by his foot and grabbed Flora's hand to run to the hotel buildings.

Clive looked back as they ran. He saw the minions gather around Bostro.

"Don't just stand there! Get them" Bostro yelled.

Clive and Flora ran as fast as they could through the glass hallway. Their footsteps echoed loudly but no one was there to hear it.

With the minions close on their tail, Clive ran for one of the hotel elevators. As the door closed behind them they both sighed in relief.

When the elevator doors opened Clive went to an open suite and locked the door once Flora was inside.

He moved away from the door, still panting for breath. He looked to Flora whose eyes were watery. She went to hug him suddenly, squeezing him tightly and burying her face in his chest. Clive who was completely embarrassed didn't know whether to hug back or not.

After feeling her begin to tremble again, he decided to wrap his arms protectively around her. He did not let go till Flora said she was alright.

Flora wiped the last tear coming from her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"How do we get out of here?" Flora asked.

"I'm not quite sure, but we have to somehow make it to the kitchens" Clive replied.

_Elsewhere..._

Katia, along with some other shady looking guests were called out of the main hall to join the corporation owner in a private gathering. Katia had acquired a great deal of information about the company that she needed to tell the Professor immediately.

All of them entered a fancy conference room and sat down in the chairs provided. The atmosphere was tense and Katia felt as if she wasn't meant to be there.

There was a large chair that wasn't turned around at the end of the table. She assumed he was the corporations CEO.

"I have called you all here to tell you that I have the golden apple in my possession and that I am willing to sell it for a good price" the mysterious man said.

In that instant Katia froze. Sell the golden apple? Sell Flora? What in the world was going on? Who were these people?

**OMG another long as chapter (1100 + words is a long chapter to me)****  
****I would like to know whether you guys prefer the main villain to be a new or existing character. Either way I will try to surprise you with whatever you pick. Please tell me in your reviews, thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**My thanks to princessanime29, LastFebruary, RedCoCo and Hikari R for reviewing the last chapter! Lol I didn't see LastFebruary and RedCoCo reviews at first because I forgot to moderate them. Sigh...I'm such a newbie.**

Katia sat frozen in her seat. She wanted leave the conference room immediately, but she knew she had to find out more about what was going on.

To her dismay she was called out by one of the guards just before the man in the unturned chair revealed himself.

The guards were directing her to a new location. Drat I almost saw his face she thought to herself.

Katia knew they had figured out her true motive. As they walked further from the room, she elbowed the one of the guards in the stomach causing him to let go of her wrist he was holding. She immediately began running down the corridors, the other guard hot on her pursuit.

She ran into the left hallway and staggered to a halt; she had picked a dead end. The guards turned in and saw she was trapped; grins appeared on their faces at their luck.

Tch! No choice I guess I'll have to use it. Katia unhooked her necklace with a locket from around her neck and held it tightly in her hand.

"Come on little miss. Don't bother struggling" one said as they both approached her.

In their surprise, Katia ran right up to them. She sprayed them with a thin mist which came from the locket and it caused them to stagger in dizziness. Katia swiftly moved right passed them, leaving the two men dazed.  
As she made her way back to the main hall, she secured the necklace back around her neck. The locket was given to her by her grandfather Anton. It contained the liquid form of the gases found at Folsense. In times of trouble, her grandfather told her to spray it on the enemy.

She silently thanked her grandfather and continued to make her way to the rendezvous point.

_In another part of the hotel..._

The Professor and Luke had finally made it to the top floor. There were a surprising amount of guards that they had to evade on their way up, and it had taken a great deal of time to get there.

After finally arriving, Professor and Luke opened the doors to the penthouse.

The room was huge and adorned in fine arts and furniture. It definitely looked like it was occupied but to their surprise, there was not a single person inside. It struck the Professor odd as there were so many guards on duty. Perhaps there was something else in the room.

"Professor, take a look at this!" Luke said as he urged the Professor to come a desk.

The desk that Luke was staring at was filled with unorganised piles of article snippets. After taking a quick look at a few, Luke noticed that all the articles were on lost and found artefacts and treasures. Whoever was occupying this room was trying to gather as much knowledge as they could about hidden treasures.

Nothing else was to be found in the room and as much as the Professor was curious by their findings, he prioritised Flora's safety first.

"We must not waste anymore time. Let's continue to look for Flora" the Professor said in a hurry.

The Professor and Luke ran out of the room and into the elevator.  
At that moment, Luke caught a glimpse of a woman's silhouette in the penthouse; he had sworn they had searched the entire room. Where had the woman hid? Luke tensed when the woman locked her gaze on him. She smiled devilishly just before the elevator doors closed, breaking the stare between them.

Not knowing whether to tell the Professor, Luke stood their silently as the elevator descended to the very bottom floor.

_In the hotel suite..._

"We'll have to leave now. The Family members will soon find us soon" Clive said to a worried Flora.

She stood up from the bed and went to hold Clive's hand. Clive smiled to himself and opened the door to the hotel suite.

The two ran hand in hand to the elevator only to unexpectedly find the Professor and Luke inside. Both were in shock only for a second, thinking that the other was a guard or a member of the Family. As the door closed behind them, Flora practically jumped into the Professors arms. The Professor was so relieved to see Flora safe. He looked at Clive and gave him a smile showing he was truly grateful to him. Clive just smiled back, also happy that Flora was unharmed.

When the elevator doors opened at the bottom floor, they slipped out and made their way to the kitchens. Thankfully all the other guests were too busy chatting and drinking to notice them.

Meeting them at the kitchens entrance was Katia. Her eyes became teary seeing Flora. She went to hug her dear friend, and both of them comforted each other.

"Now that we're all safe, let's get out of here" Luke declared.

The five of them made their way out of the hotel and out of the vicinity. They headed to the Professors apartment, where Flora could finally get some rest.

_At the large casino window..._

"Is it really alright to let them get away?" the woman asked as she watched them run outside the hotel gates.

"Don't fear my dear. This is all part of the plan. Besides, the police will be arriving soon. We better be on our way if we don't want them to catch us" the mysterious man replied.

The man and the woman walked away from the casino window and fled from the vicinity along with the Family members.

The next day, the morning newspaper was placed on the Professors doorstep. Its headline being "Mysterious Artefacts Dealer on the Loose in London"

The Professor was sure that the person who owned all those articles in the penthouse was the same person dubbed as the Mysterious Dealer. Luke never told the Professor that he saw the woman, but if only he did...

Despite all the commotion that occurred the past few days, the Professors household was for now at peace. But who would know how long it would last?

**Soz for the sucky ending to the chapter... Finally after all these dramatic events, you guys shall be reading some romantic and cute chapters. I was going to reveal the main villain in this chapter but I decided to leave it for later, haha. Please look forward to the following chapters and tell me if you're still liking the story so far. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! This is a really long chapter but I hope you enjoy it :)**

"This is great!" Luke announced as he could finally view the beach.

...

Katia had told them all the information she knew about the corporation before returning to Dropstone the previous day. The Professor had expected half of what she said and only sighed because his assumptions were correct.

The Family was a part of this new organisation. But what was unclear to the Professor was who was leading them. He had tried to deduce it but there were simply not enough clues.

Seeing the anxious mood fill the apartment, Luke had suggested they take a relaxing overnight trip to the beach.

Flora squealed with excitement as she also saw the view. She had only ever been to the beach one other time and she had absolutely loved it. As they felt the fresh sea breeze blow past them, their faces had become so relaxed. Luke felt a sense of success to his plans.

"Let's setup a spot" the Professor proclaimed as they walked onto the sandy shores.

Finding a clearing in the sand, they had set up their own spot. They had a multicoloured beach umbrella that covered their fold out chairs and other items from the sun. Despite being at the beach, their spot felt quite cosy with everything fitting under the shade of the umbrella.

The whole time Flora had been wearing a purple towel around herself. With all the people around, she was too embarrassed to reveal her bathing suit.

"The water looks great!" Luke reported whilst shading his eyes from the sun with his hand.

"Before you go, put some sun block on" the Professor reminded seeing how eager the boy was to go ahead.

Once Luke had poorly put on his sun block, he raced down to the shore and entered the water without hesitation. The coolness of sea made Luke feel refreshed and he waved his arms at the other three still left on the sand.

Clive laughed seeing Luke act so childish. Luke was normally composed and serious like the Professor, but Clive thought it was good that he showed a carefree attitude once in a while.

Seeing Luke having so much fun in the water also tempted Flora to rush in, but she was still insecure about her attire.

"Aren't you going in?" the Professor asked, breaking Flora's thought pattern.

"Um...well... I still have to put on my sun block!" Flora explained.

She turned around and sat down on the beach rug laid out. Still covered by the towel, Flora began applying the sleek sun block on to her skin. She was able to reach everywhere except for her back which was slightly exposed.

Clive, who saw Flora struggling to reach, went up to her and teased "Shall I apply it for you?"

Flora's face immediately went a bright red. "It's alright. I can manage!" she stuttered.

Eager to get away from him, Flora stood up and bravely removed the towel that was wrapped around her body. She made her way down to the shore in a hurry so she could hide herself beneath the water.

Clive watched as she made her way down. Flora was wearing a one piece red polka dot bathing suit that had thin shoulder straps and ending with shorts.

(**note**: practically a 1950s bathing suit)

Clive covered his mouth to prevent a gasp coming out; instead his cheeks were reddening. At that moment he was the very definition of stunned.

"Professor" he quietly said.

The Professor looked up at him after taking his eyes from the newspaper he had already begun to read.

"Do I have permission to join them?" he inquired.

"Why wouldn't you my boy?" the Professor responded.

Seeing Flora like that, Clive wasn't sure if he could contain his desire to hold her. Of course the Professor didn't know this and Clive had just asked for his own peace of mind. He coyly went and joined Flora and Luke who were already engaged in a water fight.

The Professor let out cheerful expression, delighted to see the three getting along so well. But the minute he continued reading the newspaper, his expression had reverted back to the serious one.

Flora was having so much fun with both Clive and Luke that she had tired herself out and decided to rest a bit on the sand. From where she was seated, she watched the two who were still playing in the water; seeing them right before her eyes made her worries for them disappear. Whilst she was being held captive at the casino, she knew they would come for her and this made her worry that something bad would happen to them. But now her worries had gone, being replaced by her gratefulness for having them in her life.

Clive and Luke who had momentarily stopped splashing each other, were now looking at Flora who was just smiling warmly at them.

"What is it?" Clive asked her curiously.

Flora only giggled and counted "three...two..."

Clive and Luke were puzzled by her but they noticed she was now staring behind them; it was too late for them to run. When Flora had said zero they were covered by a huge wave and swept away.

Flora's giggle easily became a laugh when she saw them completely drenched and dazed. From her seated position, she fell on her back to the sand and continued to laugh till she got teary.

Clive let out a smirk and slowly edged his way to Flora. She had only stopped laughing when Clive had reached her.

"Don't think you're going to get away with that" he told her. At that instant, Clive held onto Flora's wrist and headed for the water.

Despite Clive about to take revenge on her, she was distracted by his firm but yet gentle hold on her. Her heart beat began to increase and she found herself suddenly flustered. Flora snapped out of it only when she heard Clive beginning his own countdown.

"Three...two..." Clive counted with a grin.

"Wait Clive!" Flora squealed already anticipating the wave.

She had tried to escape but Clive had wrapped his arms across her chest preventing her. The wave had gone over them both and she found herself drenched and dazed as well. As Clive released her, Luke was now laughing from the sand. Deeming it a fair revenge, they burst into laughter, including the Professor who had watched from the shade of the umbrella.

After a while of continuous water fights, the three returned from the water and began to dry off.

"I'm tired" Luke said as he lay down sprawled on the sand.

"How about we have some ice cream?" Flora asked as she spotted a small ice cream stand nearby. "Just a second, I'll go get some".

Clive saw she was eager to leave and wandered if she really wanted ice cream that badly.

Just before Flora had left, she had been staring at Clive whilst he dried off. She noticed his handsome features like his magnificent sculpted face and his delicate yet defined collarbones. Her heart had begun to beat furiously and she held a hand to her cheek, feeling it becoming hot. She was experiencing the same irregular heart beat she had earlier and wondered what was causing it.

Reaching the ice cream stand she composed herself and ordered four chocolate ice creams. The man handed them to her one by one and she soon realised she wouldn't be able to carry them all.

"Um, just a minute" she told him as he was about to hand her the third ice cream.

She was trying to come up with a way to hold it when she got bumped from behind, dropping one of the ice creams which quickly melted in contact with the sand.

"Whoops I'm sorry darling" a suspicious looking man said almost sarcastically.

From the looks of it, he was accompanied by two other shady people.

"How about I buy you another one and you come and play with us in return?" the man asked as he licked his lips.

Flora knew that these people were creeps and just as she was about to decline their offer, Clive had appeared.

"No thanks. We'll just share" Clive answered placing his arm around Flora's shoulders and licking the ice cream in her hand. Flora jolted at Clive's display.

Without another word, Clive proceeded to giving the men a death glare that basically told them to get lost. Clive took the remaining two ice creams from the ice cream man and walked away with Flora.

"Jeez Flora! You simply can't be left alone" Clive muttered in concern.

Flora, who had taken his sentence the wrong way, shoved the ice cream she held in his mouth and stormed off.

"You can have it!" she raged.

"Flora wait!" Clive said in a muffled voice.

Flora heard him but she continued to storm off thinking she would look easy to him if she stopped.

...Look easy? Why was she worrying about that? Sure she thought Clive was awfully handsome and kind, but that was all. She had no deep feelings for him.

...Or did she?

Ever since she had embraced Clive in the hotel suite, she felt herself look differently at him. At the smallest interactions her heart would begin to pound uncontrollably.

But still, Flora hated that Clive thought of her as a naive child. Sure she had lived in a town filled with robots most of her life, but that had been five years ago!

"Oh your back" the Professor commented as he saw Flora return.

Clive soon came after her, handing the Professor and Luke and ice cream each.

"I'm afraid I have tired myself out. Would it be okay if we head to the hotel now?" Flora had asked.

The Professor agreed since the sun was beginning to set. She quickly helped pack their things eager to reach the hotel to isolate herself in her own room.

Upon arriving, they were immediately shown to their designated suites. Without a word, Flora stepped into her room and shut the door. Falling face first on the bed, she just lay there, rather frustrated. She knew how stubborn she was acting, but she couldn't let Clive's comment slide. She wasn't a little girl who couldn't handle herself! Sighing, she got up and dressed herself for dinner.

The hotels dining was the finest; fresh seafood straight from the shore. Despite how delicious it all looked, Flora simply had no appetite.

"I think I'll take a stroll on the beach" Flora said with a sigh, returning her plate to the stack and walking out of dining room.

The Professor and Luke glanced at each other, wondering why Flora looked so drained.

Clive sat their silently, arguing with himself about whether he should go after her. She probably wouldn't want to see him but he was anxious because she had gone off on her own. Flora's kidnapping had made Clive extra protective of her; he didn't want Flora to disappear again.

Placing his palms on the table and pushing himself up, Clive excused himself and hurried to find Flora.

_At the beaches shores..._

Flora had made it quite a distance along the shore, kicking the sand beneath her boots as she walked. She stopped and stood still to admire the glimmering moon hoping it would help clear her mind. The moon was magnificently shining in the starry sky and its shimmering reflection on the water's surface was so beautiful. Staring at it for a while had helped her decide that she was going to apologize to him.

"How romantic" she had whispered taking one last look at it in the sky before moving on.

To her shock there was a response.

"Indeed" Clive said as Flora turned around. "Shall we enjoy it together?"

Clive held out his hand the same way he did at the ball and Flora smiled taking it.

They walked along the shore in silence. Flora didn't know when to speak up.

"You know..." they had said at the same time.

"Ah, you first" Clive said looking down to cover up his slightly red tinted cheeks.

"Um" Flora began. "I want to apologise for earlier. I was being headstrong and I got angry at you for no good reason"

Clive shook his head and replied "No. I had offended you and I should be apologising"

Flora looked up into Clive's deep brown eyes. Within them she really could see his concern for her and now knew that he said what he did out of worry.

Clive who had caught her gaze was also looking at Flora; her big brown eyes shimmering just like the water.

Flora very soon realised their faces were quite close. She wanted to remove her from eyes from him but she couldn't. He leaned in and she closed her eyes.

Clive was just about to kiss her when he swiftly pulled away.

"Right! We should be heading back" he sputtered as he turned around.

Flora opened her eyes, a lingering blush on her cheeks. Although she hadn't been kissed by Clive, Flora in that moment knew she had fallen in love with him.

The two walked back to the hotel, Clive in front and Flora behind. Clive was scratching the back of his head and nervously turned around to check on Flora.

She walked gracefully behind him like a princess; her beautiful brown locks gently moving with the sea breeze and her figure being exposed in the moonlight.

Clive quickly turned back around and walked even more nervously. He escorted her to her room before heading to his own.

When he entered, the Professor and Luke had already gone to sleep. He crept up to his bed and lay down.

"That was close. Way too close..." Clive thought as he brought the blanket up over his body and fell asleep.

The next day Flora was as bright and alive as she could ever be. The Professor smiled seeing her in a good mood again. The four of them sat in the car and the Professor started the engine and drove them back to London. Now Flora had accepted her feelings, she wondered how she could make Clive fall for her.

Unbeknownst to the innocent Flora who hadn't realised, Clive already had feelings for her that were growing continuously day by day.

**You might have noticed that I portrayed Luke in his childish state. Considering Luke is about 16-17 in this story I was wondering whether I should show a manly side to him as well? Haha I don't know! Please review for me and I will continue to update****ASAP!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey I have updated with another cute chapter! Oh and thank you to all who reviewed and Hikari R especially for helping edit the last chapter. Personally I also hate it when I read something grammatically incorrect so thanks for that!**

Today the Professor and Luke were at the Gressenheller University to deal with some of the Professor's workload. They would be gone practically all day, leaving Clive and Flora alone.

In spite of Flora's nervousness at having a whole day with just Clive, she was ecstatic to take this opportunity to have a "date" with him.

"Flora lets go out today" Clive said after they had finished eating and cleaning up breakfast.

Flora was so happy Clive had been the one to ask her. She knew she'd have turn so red if she had asked him.

"Sure" she said casually trying to hide her excitement.

Flora ran upstairs and into her room to change. When she came down she was wearing her usual attire, but the hair at the back of her crown was tied whilst the rest flowed down to her shoulders.

Clive liked Flora's usual hair style but he also really liked it when it was let out.

(**note**: when it's just Flora and Clive I'll occasionally give Flora different hairstyles)

Holding the door open for her, Flora walked through and locked it with the key. They then walked down the street in search for a cab.

(**note**: lol, its random but I feel kinda weird using cars in the story even though they exist in the game)

Once entering the car the driver asked them where they were going. Clive looked to Flora indicating for her to decide.

"Hm...We'd like to go to the aquarium!" she decided.

Clive laughed when Flora pointed her hand up to the ceiling of the car like a kid. She slowly put it down in embarrassment.

"You have to show your mature side" she silently muttered.

"What was that?" Clive asked.

"Nothing nothing!" Flora replied in a panic.

The cab dropped them at the entrance of the aquarium and after paying him they went inside.

"This is wonderful" Flora commented being very lady like. She was walking more gracefully than usual through the aquarium, and on occasion she'd make mature comments about the sea creatures like "Did you know that a starfish can regrow its limbs after losing it?" She even began to laugh like those rich pompous women in an attempt to sound sophisticated.

Clive saw how awkward Flora was acting and wondered if she was uncomfortable with him.

Finally he asked her "Flora do you feel uncomfortable around me?"

Flora turned in surprise and replied "Not at all Clive!"

"Then would it be okay of me to ask you to drop the formalities? You can be yourself around me" he stated shyly.

His question had hit her. Clive misunderstood her formality as a sign of distancing herself. She smacked herself on the forehead in understanding. In the first place, why hadn't she acted like herself?

Flora took Clive by the arm and dropped the lady like act. She was enjoying herself more now that she wasn't acting. Clive was also relieved when she returned to her usual self and he happily followed when she began dragging him around to see her favourite sea creatures.

The fish were visible from all directions when the two had entered a glass archway of the aquarium. Flora placed her hand on the glass as the little fishes went to greet her. She giggled seeing the cute little things swim near her hand.

A shadow was cast above them and she noticed a stingray swim above them. Floras mouth gaped open in amazement. Clive was so amused by Flora's facial expressions that he found himself looking at Flora rather than the fish.

"Clive! Clive! Look at this" she called.

Clive, who had momentarily been looking at the sharks swimming by, turned his attention to Flora.

He burst into laughter seeing her copy an inflated puffer fish by holding air in her cheeks.

"It looks just like you" he said holding his stomach as he continued laughing.

Flora had also begun to laugh, showing Clive the most adorable face he had ever seen.

The two of them had continued on like that until they had explored the entire aquarium. Before leaving, they stopped by the souvenir shop to get something for the Professor and Luke. Flora was searching the entire store for the best souvenirs. At last she chose a turtle plushy for Luke and a fish with a top hat on it for the Professor.

"Look Clive it's the Professor" she said giggling.

Once they had bought the two items, they settled down for a snack.

Flora was happily looking at the presents she had bought whilst Clive was contemplating whether he should give her what he had planned to.

"F...Flora" he stuttered out.

Flora put aside the bag of gifts and turned her eyes to Clive. He almost lost it when she turned her pretty face to him.

"I have something to give you" he bravely said taking out a beautiful silver necklace with a single gorgeous shell dangling from the middle. "Here I'll put it on"

Clive swiftly got out of his seat and stood behind Flora. He removed her hair from her neck and went to place the necklace. As he was doing so, Flora could feel the occasional touch of his fingers on her neck that left a tingling sensation.

Once Clive had secured the necklace and returned to his seat, Flora was left with rosy cheeks. She held the shell in her hand and continued to admire it.

"Thank you Clive. It's beautiful" she commented. "When did you buy it? I looked through the entire store and I never saw it"

"Actually...I brought that necklace from the beach. You see I found that shell in the sand and I bought the silver chain from a jeweller near the hotel" he explained.

Flora looked at Clive who was turning away bashfully. To think he had thought of her even then. Flora decided she'd take good care of the necklace, as a gift from Clive but as well as the memory their trip to the beach. Clive thought the necklace looked really great on Flora and had turned away because he was staring too much.

The pair took another walk to get to know each other better on their way home. Even though Flora was in love with him, she still didn't know a lot about his interests and preferences.

"So Clive what's your favourite colour?" Flora asked.

Clive laughed at the randomness of the question.

"Is it important?" he inquired.

"Very!" she replied playfully.

"Well. I suppose it'd be white" he concluded.

"White" Flora affirmed to herself. "What about your favourite food?"

Clive scratched his chin, being wary of his answer. He had once been hungry during the night and went to get a snack from the kitchen. The cookie he had chosen looked delicious, that was until he bit into it. In the morning he asked Luke why they had such a thing and he replied Flora had baked it.

"Ap...apple pie" he said hesitantly.

(**note**: apple pie...get it! apple pie, golden apple hahaha...okay I'll just stop myself now...)

Flora's eyes gleamed with joy. A new dessert to try bake!

Flora continued to ask questions until she had acquired a sufficient amount of information. She learnt all sorts of things like that Clive's birthday was June 17, his hobby was building robots, his most disliked vegetable was carrots and that he'd prefer sitting cosily by a fire as opposed to adventuring the outdoors.

(**note**: sorry for the random birthday date and the other info I'm putting into Clive's character. Then again this is fan fiction haha)

As Clive answered each question, he became more and more curious about Flora's interests.

"My turn to ask" Clive insisted.

Flora was happy that Clive cared to know her interests, but she began to fidget with her fingers over what sort of questions he'd ask. Clive started off with the same simple questions Flora had asked him and the two chatted till they reached home.

By the time the two had finally returned, the Professor and Luke were already there.

"Welcome back" Luke said as he arranged the dinner table.

Luke saw Clive holding a bag of items and a flustered Flora beside him.

"Ah the two have arrived" the Professor said popping his head out from the kitchen.

They all had dinner together and Flora talked about her visit to the aquarium. She then showed Luke and the Professor their souvenirs which they were quite pleased with.

After dinner Flora took a bath and slept early.

...

For the past week, the Professor woke up to Flora cooking in the kitchen. Although she cooked, she never told the Professor what she was making, nor did she serve anything. But finally after a while Flora woke them all up to taste what she had cooked for them.

"Try it!" Flora beamed as she urged them to try the apple pie she had made.

"It's rather too early for me to have sweets" the Professor explained.

"My stomachs been acting up since yesterday" Luke said as he laughed nervously.

"Why don't you try it first Clive? Since your favourite food is apple pie" Flora reasoned.

Clive gulped as he prepared himself to try it. He picked up the fork on the table and slowly picked out a piece of the apple pie. Flora waited in anticipation whilst the Professor and Luke watched on in concern.

Clive placed the piece in his mouth and began to chew. His expression changed and none of them could tell what he was thinking.

After swallowing it all down Clive broke into a smile and announced "It's delicious! The best I've ever had!"

The Professor and Luke couldn't believe their eyes when Clive took another piece and ate it. First Luke took a piece and then the Professor and to their amazement it really was delicious. They had finally come across something Flora could cook incredibly well.

Flora's smile had become bigger and brighter at her success. She happily ate some as well, thinking of more ways to capture Clive's heart.

**Review please :) After one or two chapters I will be getting back to the mystery of the story so please look forward to it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update! I just started school again and it's been taking up a lot of my time. Anyhow without further ado here is the new chapter **

The streets of London were at peace this morning as Flora, Clive and Luke were walking to the local markets. The Professor had gone on other business for the day and asked the three of them to buy the groceries.

Flora held a medium sized basket in her hand for the produce they would buy. She walked between Clive and Luke, happy that they could spend some time together.

"The weather is just great today!"Luke announced as the three walked along the sunbathed foot path.

"Indeed it is wonderful" Flora agreed. "I love going to the markets on a day like this!"

The three of them, reached the market and began to search for what they needed. Luke went off to look for other items whilst Clive held the basket for Flora as she went from stall to stall looking for the correct foods.

"Flora, could you hold the basket for a second?" Clive asked needing to fix his pants.

He carefully gave the handle to Flora who held it with both hands, struggling to keep a hold of it.

Out of nowhere, a street boy ran up to Flora and snatched the basket from her, running deeper into the market.

Without delaying, Clive ran after the boy in pursuit of the stolen groceries. It was hard for Clive to keep up with the rascal. The market was so full of people that he had to continuously find higher ground to spot the boy. Finally the chase led him to a less populated area and down some alley ways. Just as the boy was going to turn into a new alleyway, Clive managed to grab him by the arm.

"Got you!" he exclaimed, still panting for breath.

"Let go of me mister" the young boy yelled struggling to break free from Clive's grasp.

"I don't think so! You have stolen my groceries" Clive stated.

The boy did not say anything but continued to struggle free. At that moment, Flora had caught up, holding the hands a young boy and girl.

"Brother!" the two little children yelled, letting go of Flora's hand and running up to their older sibling.

Clive let go of the young boys arm and the two little children began crying in their elder brother's arms.

Clive saw the look on the older boys face. He was trying to hold back his own tears as he comforted his younger siblings.

Flora went towards the basket and picked it up. The older boy looked sorrowfully at the basket which was now in Flora's hands.

From it, Flora took a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a bunch of berries and wrapped it in a large napkin. She then handed this to the boy and smiled warmly at him.

The boy could no longer hold back his tears and cried.

"Thank you. God bless you" he said through weeping.

Flora patted him on the head, as well as the two younger children.

"We'd better get going Clive. Luke might be looking for us" she explained.

Clive took the not as heavy basket from her hands and the two made their way back to the market.

"Where have you to been?" Luke asked holding all the produce he had bought in his hands.

"Long story" Clive replied.

Clive held out the basket to Luke who put the stuff he was holding inside of it.

The three had finished what they needed to do rather early.

"Shall we go to the lake?" Flora asked as she twirled in front of them feeling quite happy.

The two agreed and they bought another loaf of bread to feed the ducks at the lake. Luke and Flora talked all the way there whilst Clive just listened. Luke and Flora had the most peculiar conversations. Things like if aliens existed or if people had three eyes. He always laughed to himself whenever a weird topic came up, but the two could never pick out why he was laughing.

The ducks and their little ducklings immediately made their way to Flora as she threw the bits of bread into the lake. It was like the ducks knew her because they weren't hesitant in bringing their young ones along.

Flora smiled her usual sweet smile as she continued to throw the bread. Not only was Flora kind to him, but to everyone and everything around her. She was like a princess loved by all of her kingdom. Nothing could compare to her genuine kindness and concern. Clive smiled to himself, thinking of how lucky he was to be able to stick by Flora's side.

"What is it Clive?" Flora said when she noticed him smiling.

"Nothing" he replied happily. "Give me some bread as well"

Clive through his piece of bread into the lake but the ducks ignored it. Seeing this Flora and Luke began to laugh whilst Clive stood their pouting in disappointment.

"I've got a long way to go till I can be the prince loved by all and one that can equally stand by Flora's side" he said to himself.

"Pardon?" Flora said.

"Nothing love. Nothing at all" he replied joyfully.

**Sorry it's not nicely structured...Just so you guys know, the next chapter is practically finished and I will be posting it soon after this one **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey here is chapter 10! Yay double digits! A lot of things go on in this chapter so pay attention to everything hahaha. Enjoy! P.S. I have added an extra paragraph to emphasise a point to those who've read the less updated version.**

Clive was forced to stay at the apartment, unable to go out because an inspecting officer would visit him during some point of the day.

Flora was reluctant to leave Clive behind but she had to go with the Professor and Luke because she had to get a new dress made, considering she had left one in the casino.

It had been an hour since they had left and Clive was getting impatient. Whoever was going to be visiting was sure taking their sweet time.

Clive sat in a dining chair tapping his finger on the table's surface in frustration. He thought that after he and the officer had their little "chat", he'd be able to catch up with Flora and the rest of them. Clive had been so used to seeing Flora every day, that he felt somewhat lonely without her.

Finally there was a knock on the door and Clive hurriedly opened it. He expected to see a common officer but the person who visited him was Inspector Chelmey and his assistant Barton.

"Inspector?" Clive said slightly surprised.

The Inspector gave him a slight nod and entered the apartment; his assistant scurrying in behind him.

"Hello Mr. Dove" the Inspector greeted with an expressionless face.

Clive ushered the men into the lounge room offering them tea and snacks. The Inspector declined his offer as he was on a tight schedule.

"Right! Let's get on with it" he announced rather rudely.

The Inspector placed a stack of papers on the coffee table and pushed them across to Clive.

"What's this?" Clive asked, taking the papers in his hand.

"Damages. The full report on the London attack incident" the Inspector replied.

Clive was hesitant to look at the papers. The full reality of what he had done finally hit him, and just when he was so happy with life.

"Could you summarise this for me" he asked unable to flick through even one page.

"The worst that was done was the fatality of ten casualties. Three children were left without parents and were sent to the orphanage. Many were left injured, overpopulating our hospitals and facilities. That mobile fortress had also destroyed many of London's buildings leaving people homeless and without money" he said.

Clive had never felt so devastated in his life. All those years in jail made him oblivious to the fact that such severe damage was done.

The Inspector didn't help by staring at Clive like he was still a criminal. After all the tension, the Inspector ended up making Clive go through the report papers, each new white sheet bringing Clive even further into despair.

By the end of it all, Clive felt he was unworthy of living. Barton saw the look in Clive's now dull eyes but he could not console him; he was also an officer of the law after all.

With that, the Inspector left with the same quaint nod and the door was shut, leaving Clive slouched on the couch with a blank expression. Who knows how long he just sat there, but it had been so long that when the three returned home he still sat there, not even bothering to greet them.

"Clive what's wrong?" Flora asked sitting down next to him.

Clive didn't mean to be rude, but he just stood up and walked to his room without a word said.

Flora had become really upset at his display, but she was more worried about what happened to Clive's chat with the officer.

But it was good timing because Luke had received a flyer on the streets that day that said there was a carnival tonight in London. The Professor planned on taking the three of them there after he saw the notice.

"This is sure to cheer up Clive" she said staring at the flyer.

The four arrived at the carnival five minutes after the main opening. Just from the exit, Flora could see all the spectacular rides and all the exciting stalls. Flora loved carnivals because it was the best place to find the cutest stuffed animals. Luke and she would always play the games where stuffed animals could be won.

Sadly Clive did not emulate Flora's excitement and merely followed the three into the carnival.

Luke seemed to have spotted something because he disappeared in an instance into the crowds. The Professor ran straight after him, leaving Flora and Clive alone together.

Flora took this as an opportunity to cheer Clive up. She lightly grabbed his arm and looked up at him.

"Let's have as much fun as we can tonight!" she said.

Clive tried to smile as best as he could, but he was still very depressed. He thought that he should at least try to have fun for Flora's sake.

The two went around to almost every stall and rode on almost every ride. Clive was finally beginning to genuinely smile and it was all thanks to Flora. She could take all his cares and worries away and replace them with sweet memories.

Everything was well again until Clive spotted a little boy handing out posters. The little boy saw Clive looking at him and walked over to hand him a poster. Clive held it up to his face and read "Help us raise funds for those affected by the London attacking!" Clive's hand dropped when he saw the mobile fortress in the picture, and his grip on the poster went loose.

How could he forget all the damage he had done? All the people he had affected? Flora who came back from another stall saw that Clive's expression had reverted back to dull. She looked at his eyes which reflected the carnival lights, and yet they still looked so sad.

For the rest of the evening Clive walked behind Flora, thinking he didn't deserve to walk beside her. He stared at her back as they walked along the pathways.

Why did Flora have to be so kind? so innocent? so loving? Why did she always gently smile at him? Why did she always cutely express herself in front of him? What had he done to deserve her?

Clive decided he did nothing, that in the beginning he should have kept his distance from Flora. But why hadn't he? He knew from the beginning that he would taint her with his tainted self.

Although Clive asked himself he had already come to the answer...Greed.

Ever since Flora showed her kindness and care for him he had been greedy for her. Greedy for her smile, her laugh, her scent, her touch...

No. Flora wouldn't want him. A man who just barged into their home straight from jail; the thought killed him. He longed for Flora to long for him and yet he knew if she did he'd have to decline her. His greed had taken over and Clive decided it was time to stop being by her side; she deserved far better than he.

His thoughts were interrupted by the tug on his arm.

"Clive let's ride that" Flora said pointing to the large Ferris wheel decorated in lights.

She moved to grab his hand and then guided him to the Ferris wheel. Flora liked the feeling of Clive's warm hand in hers. She was surprised at herself for being so brave as to hold hands with him.

When they arrived at the Ferris wheel there was no queue. It seemed everyone had gathered down at the field for the fireworks. Flora knew that the fireworks would probably be visible from the Ferris wheel, so she thought it was a great place to confess to Clive.

That's right, that very day she had decided to confess her feelings to Clive. Although her time with Clive had not been too long, she considered those days as the best in her life. Never before had she experienced the sweet sensations of love, and not family love, but real relationship sort of love.

The man in charge of the Ferris wheel greeted the two and allowed them to enter one of the carriages. Clive and Flora sat opposite each other. Flora decided she would confess to him once they reached the peak of the ride. The two sat silently, Flora unable to speak because she was too nervous and Clive unable to speak because he was too depressed.

Reaching the peak of the Ferris wheel seemed to be taking forever. Flora had begun to develop butterflies in her stomach. But despite that she could feel her golden apple birthmark burning in her skin.

Finally they reached the peak and Flora began to talk.

"Um...Clive there is something I'd like to tell you" she said nervously.

She held her hands in her lap and anxiously waited for Clive to look up. Her heart beat rapidly as Clive set his gaze on her.

"I...I...what I would like to say is..." Flora stuttered.

She wanted to slap herself. She knew she could not stuff up her confession.

Flora took a deep breath and began again, Clive still giving her his full attention.

"These past few days I have spent with you have been some of the best days of my life. Being with you makes me so happy and gives me this warm fuzzy feeling inside that I can't get enough of. What I really wanted to say is that...is that... I like you. I really like you a lot" she confessed.

Flora's face was now burning red. She feared she would pass out from the temperature rise in her body.

For the moment another silence began. Clive studied Flora's face and seeing the golden apple shine brightly, he could tell she was not joking.

Darn! He had been too late. Flora had already fallen in love with him.

Clive didn't know whether he was extremely happy or extremely sad. His biggest dream had just come true and yet he knew that he had to reject her.

All the crimes he had committed made him see he didn't deserve happiness. He had killed people, destroyed their homes and left children without their parents. He felt if he was to have the love of his life he would be cheating those who have suffered because of him.

In his heart he would accept her feelings and that should be enough for him.

Clive opened his mouth to speak. "Thank you. I am very flattered by your confession. But I am sorry that I cannot return your feelings" he choked out.

Flora's face turned from shocked into expressionless. She just sat there and Clive saw the golden apple fade away. Clive thought she would burst into tears but she just sat there.

Then out of nowhere, Flora said "Of course! I totally get it!"

Her expression changed into a forced smile. Despite her best attempt to hide her sadness, Clive could see her eyes were moist.

A loud boom went off signalling the first round of fireworks. The sky was lit up with beautiful colours but the two of them could hardly enjoy it.

When they reached the bottom and got out of the carriage, Flora ran off with tears flooding from her eyes.

Clive wanted to run after her but he knew that that would make it worse. He walked away from the Ferris wheel and sat down on a nearby bench.

He sighed seeing how sad he had made Flora. How could he forgive himself? He just let out another sigh without an answer.

As he sat there, he heard another boom go off. He thought the fireworks had ended already. A second boom went off but it didn't sound like a fireworks sort of boom.

Before Clive could figure out what it was, a man ran by yelling "Run away!"

Clive's eyes opened right up and he turned to look at the direction the man had run from. He could see smoke floating up into the sky.

"Fire...Flora!" Clive yelled. Seeing the emergency, he began frantically running in search of Flora.

Meanwhile...

"How stupid must I look hiding here?" Flora said to herself as she hid behind a bush bawling her eyes out.

She kept telling herself to stop crying but the tears continued to flow. Clive was such a handsome, independent and kind man. Of course he wouldn't be interested in a girl like her.

She wiped yet another set of tears from her eyes and stood up from behind the bush.

There she saw a man wearing a tricorn hat, a white-feathered boa, a white mask that covered his eyes and a dark-brown flowing cape.

"Hello Golden Apple" the mysterious man greeted whilst grinning.

Flora took a step back not knowing what to do.

"Help" she whispered.

**Okay I think y'all know who one of the main villains is by now. Back to the mystery! This chapter had a lot going on and it is continued in the next chapter so please continue to follow the story! P.S. If you don't get why Clive rejected her dw. Next chapter should answer your questions.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yeah...I have no real valid excuse for taking so long... I'M SO SORRY! School stuff basically piled on me and I basically had no social life!**

**Any who just a quick recap of what's going on in the story for those of you who have been waiting sooo long. **

**So Flora just confessed to Clive but she got rejected because Clive was in a pretty bad state of mind. Flora then runs off and runs into a mysterious man whom I'm sure you all know already.**

**Without further ado here is the long awaited chapter **

"Who...who are you?" Flora said taking another step backward into the bush.

The man only grinned and edged closer as Flora took more and more steps back. She tripped on a large root and fell backwards into the bush.

The man offered his hand to help her, but she rejected it. "What do you want from me?" she said more sternly.

The man began to chuckle in a very odd manner to her questions.

"I do indeed want something...but not from you, rather from a person you are close to" he replied sinisterly. "You don't need to fear. Tonight I am here merely as a spectator. You better hurry along if you don't want anything bad to happen"

From his tone she could tell the man had absolutely no concern for whatever happened to her. Who was this guy anyway? And just what did he mean by wanting something from someone close to her? Before she could ask him the man disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Just when she thought her mind couldn't be any more muddled, she had instantaneously proved herself wrong. She got up from the ground and dusted herself off, also having to remove a few leaves and twigs from her hair in the process. What was she going to do now? She didn't really want to see anyone just yet but she knew she had to find the Professor as soon as possible.

She turned to begin walking back to the main centre of the carnival and was shocked to see the entire thing engulfed in flames.

In an instant, she began to run back to the main centre to the crowd that had gathered at the entrance.

When she arrived, many were searching for their loved ones who were nowhere to be seen. Flora searched for Clive, Luke or the Professor in the extremely large crowd however it seemed pointless with everyone moving around in a panic.

Then, she heard Clive's voice from within the flames yelling "Luke! This way!"

Just the sound of his voice motioned Flora to run into the flames and offer any assistance she could. She untied her pretty red ribbon from around her waist and brought it over her mouth to prevent herself from choking on any smoke. She then ran in to go and find him.

Clive had met up with Luke when the fires began to get out of hand. Because of the large amount of people desperate to escape, the two had become separated from the Professor. The bigger problem was that they had gotten trapped behind some fallen stall parts and it had taken them quite some time to free themselves. Now they had to find their way out of the huge fire surrounding them.

Trying to remember the way the pathways were organised, Clive began to map out a way to the carnivals entrance where the flames had probably not reached.

"Luke I think it's this way" he said motioning Luke to follow a just visible pathway.

Luke nodded and the two began to run through the flames, covering their mouths with their now tattered blazers.

It had seemed like a lifetime for the two who had been constantly running through the dense smoke. Both of them were beginning to lose their strength, trying ever so hard to remain conscious.

At last Clive spotted the entrances still twinkling with lights in the distance.

"Luke! This way!" he yelled.

Finally safety was in view.

Clive continued to run, following after Luke until he caught a glimpse of someone running in the opposite direction. The smoke was thick so he wasn't able to see who it was. But from the looks of their figure, he assumed it was a woman.

"Luke, go on ahead!" he yelled before running back into the flames in search of the woman.

Luke had run straight ahead until he reached the carnival's entrance. He bent over, hands on his knees gasping for breath.

"We made it!" he exclaimed still panting hard from exhaustion.

Luke turned to look at Clive but Clive wasn't there...

"Hey you! Please wait that's the wrong way out of the fire!" Clive yelled at the silhouette he could barely keep sight of.

Flora stopped running at the sound of Clive's voice. Thank goodness he was still okay! Just as she was going to go to him, she heard the cries of a child. Immediately she diverted to run for the crying and there she found a little boy by himself bawling his eyes out. Flora ran up and took the child's hand.

"It's okay. Don't worry I'll get you out of here" Flora told the child.

There was no seeing Clive anymore. Her one chance to be able to find him in these flames had past. What was most important now was that she be able to get this child out of the flames.

Flora heaved in and out as they ran through the smoky surroundings. Her chest was starting to feel heavy and she realised how little the ribbon was helping her. She began to lose consciousness and was clumsily making her way down the path fighting so hard to keep her eyes open. Losing her balance she let go of the little boys hand and almost staggered to the floor if it weren't for someone grabbing her by the arm and urging her to run.

Everything after that was a blur. Flora remembered running and reaching the shimmering lights at the carnival entrance before blacking out.

When she had finally regained consciousness, she was in a hospital bed. She had just opened her eyes so everything was still hazy. Flora could feel a calm and gentle breeze coming into the room and that she was wrapped cosily.

When her vision finally cleared, she saw Clive sleeping dreamily on the edge of her bed. He looked so peaceful, exactly like the first time she had seen him asleep. The breeze from the open window blew a bit harder, which was enough to push a few strands of his hair out of place. She bent over to go and fix it but stopped after yesterdays memories came flooding back to her.

Slowly retracting her hand she sat silently in the bed only watching Clive till he woke up. Clive woke up quite startled, like he had a bad dream or something.

"Flora? FLORA!" he yelled getting up and wrapping his arms right around her.

Flora just sat there, not knowing whether to hug him back or not. Despite being rejected by him she still longed his comfort and kindness. The two remained like that till Clive was ready to let go.

"Sorry" Clive said when he finally released her. The air was awkward between the two of them.

After seeing Flora collapse at the carnivals entrance, Clive understood that he had to stay by her and protect her no matter what. Gosh, how stupid did he have to be to not realise how strong his feelings were. Clive decided he would tell Flora how he really felt for better or for worse.

"Flora...about yesterday" he stuttered.

Unfortunately Clive could not continue because a nurse had walked in telling them that visitors had to leave.

"I must get going then" Clive stated.

Flora didn't want Clive to leave. She wanted him to stay with her throughout the night but she knew that if she said that she'd just be bothering him.

"Good night Flora. Sleep well" he said sweetly before closing the door to the hospital room.

That night Flora had such mixed feelings. She was so happy Clive had embraced her. She really needed that. But she was also extremely sad by the rejection.

"You're so cruel..." Flora whispered before falling asleep again. "...But I still love you"

**Hey that's the end of this chapter. I'm going to get onto writing the next one straightaway and hopefully I can post it much quicker! Thank you to those who have waited and are still following this story! Means a lot to me **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey it's been a while! After much waiting I think you want me to stop talking and get on with story.**

**With that the story shall start...hehehehe.**

Three days had passed since Flora was released from hospital. Everyone was so happy to have Flora back as the house seemed to become cold and lonely.

Despite Flora's return, the days of peace could not come back so soon. The Professor and Luke were out most of the time trying to investigate the incident at the London Fair. The news spread like wildfire throughout London and now the citizens were always cautious when they left their homes.

Flora however made up every possible reason to get out of the house. This was because Clive was still obligated to be her "body guard" whilst the Professor and Luke were out. Flora couldn't bear to be left in the house alone with him, so she'd often go outside where they could have some distance between them.

Clive on the other hand really wanted to talk to Flora. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but the way she was acting made it so difficult. Every time he'd try to initiate a conversation she'd answer 'yes' or 'no' and then hurry off immediately before being asked anything else. Clive was so frustrated but he knew he had no right to be. He had rejected Flora on the eve of the incident; it was natural that she'd want to avoid him.

Sighing at his thoughts, Clive began to walk faster in an attempt to keep up with the ridiculous pace Flora was walking at. At some point she began walking as if she was running away (**note: she was attempting running away**) She quickly manoeuvred her way through the markets and swiftly went through alleyways.

Clive knew he had to tell her to slow down so he wouldn't lose sight of her.

"Flora, slow down!" he said as he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Flora slowly turned her face to his and the expression she had on would never be erased from Clive's mind.

She looked so cheerless. Her cheeks were reddened and her eyes looked like tears would flow out at any moment. Clive let go of her wrist immediately, which he didn't know if that would make her happier or sadder.

She turned her face to the floor and asked him, "Hey. Would you mind if I had some time to myself?"

Clive knew it'd be too dangerous to leave her, but the way she had looked at him earlier made him agree to what she had requested.

Slowly, Flora walked on ahead and Clive watched on till she went around the bend. Of course once she was out of sight, Clive went to go and follow her in incognito mode. Clive would never really leave Flora by herself, but maybe she would feel better if she thought she was by herself.

Clive sneaked up to the bend expecting to see Flora just a little further ahead. But to his shock, there was not a trace of her. Clive began to panic. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to her request.

Clive ran further up the walkway and spotted the little brown bag Flora had been carrying with her. He picked it up and continued to search for.

A lot of Flora's items were dropped and this made Clive feel a bit better. Whoever her capture was wasn't paying attention to Flora dropping clues. In spite of this thought, Clive's adrenaline made him move faster and faster.

By following the clues, Clive was led to the London harbour. But this time there was nothing left for him to follow. Clive began to panic again as he frantically searched for clues. The only things that were there were just individuals and families enjoying their daily activities. The sounds of the waves crashing against the harbour were normally peaceful to listen to, but Clive found that in this situation they were quite bothersome.

"Flora where have you gone?" he said miserably holding the things she had left tightly in his hand.

The people who passed Clive looked at him with faces of concern. But no one dared approach him as he was...except one.

"I'm right here" Flora said from behind him.

Clive spun around and saw an unharmed Flora staring up at him. He went for a hug but Flora ducked under and swiftly evaded it. She walked straight on to the edge of the harbour and sat down where there was no fence blocking her. Clive watched her for a while as she just sat quietly at the edge of the waters before joining her himself.

The two sat quietly just staring off into the distance.

"You seem very calm for someone who was almost abducted" Clive stated.

"Who said I was abducted?" Flora said in a very monotone manner.

Clive thought about how Flora was unharmed and how she seemed to expect him to arrive.

And then he realised...Flora had set it all up.

Why?" he asked her, not needing to put any further detail into his question.

She simply replied, "My little revenge against you."

Clive half expected that to be her response, but he was still surprised she was so blunt with her answer.

"Clive I have something to say to you" she said, still avoiding any eye contact with him.

Clive just sat there silently and intently, waiting for Flora to begin.

"I've said it before but I'll say it again... I like you" she said solemnly as she turned to smile at him.

Clive's spirits boosted straight up. He never thought he'd hear Flora say that phrase again after her first confession. His heart began pounding furiously but he kept himself calm and composed.

Flora continued, "But I know it annoys you so I'm going to stop. After this I'll probably still like you, but I'll try to cut my feelings for you. So, I hope you'll help me do so by not doing things I could misinterpret".

Flora smiled the same smile she had when she said she liked him. She broke her gaze shortly after and stood up.

"I feel a bit better now. Let's go home for today" she said. Flora then began to walk off in the direction of home, not bothering to wait for Clive.

Almost instantly Clive stood up and grabbed her hand. He then pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly.

Flora was so shocked by his actions. "This is what I meant!" she said as a tear began to make its way down her cheek.

Flora kicked Clive on the shin which managed to get him to let go of her. But still he had his hands securely wrapped around her wrist.

"Let go" she said sternly.

"I won't" he replied just as serious.

This time Flora raised her voice. "Let go!" she yelled trying to free herself from his grip.

"I won't" he replied again, even tightening his grip.

Flora couldn't take it anymore. Why couldn't Clive do what she just said? Flora leaned her head against Clive's chest and gripped tightly to Clive's sleeve.

"Please..." she begged him, now crying. "Clive, please stop confusing me. At first you seem so close and loving and then the next thing I know, you suddenly become so distant, like a stranger... I don't think my heart can handle what you're doing."

Clive felt Flora tremble. He realised that he really had been changing his mind so many times and it never occurred to him before that Flora felt this way.

"Please believe me when I say this. I am here now and I won't leave you. I promise" he said sincerely.

"How can I tell that you're not lying? Or that you're not going to break your promise? Prove it to me!" Flora said trying to remain calm.

Clive quickly thought of a way to show Flora he was sincere. He needed to convey that he would really stay by her side. He needed to show her he was not lying.

"Fine. Close your eyes and don't move no matter what" he stated waiting for Flora to follow his instructions.

Hesitantly, Flora closed her eyes and held her hands tightly together.

Clive watched as Flora closed her eyes and stood there. Despite the fact that she was crying, she still looked so beautiful. Clive's cheeks began to redden as the amount of people within the area began to increase. He was so embarrassed to do what he was going to do in public, but there was no turning back now.

Clive bent down towards her face so that their lips were almost touching. He could feel the warm of her breath against his cheek which caused his heart to beat even faster than it already was.

He was about to kiss Flora when she opened her eyes out of impatience. She blushed seeing how close Clive's face was to her own. Just as the two were going to back away from each other, a bunch of little kids ran behind Clive and bumped into his back causing him to lean forward and complete the kiss. It was a quick peck but both Flora and Clive were red with embarrassment.

Clive looked into Flora's eyes and saw that as much as she was embarrassed, she wanted to continue.

Taking the initiative, Clive commanded "Flora, close your eyes".

Flora obliged with no complaints.

In that instance, Clive swiftly placed a hand on Flora's neck and gently tilted her face upwards so that her lips would meet his own. Clive kissed her with a sense of urgency feeling the need to comfort her and to prove to her his point. But as the kiss continued, it became a much warmer and sweeter experience. Clive felt a tingling sensation that started from his lips and made its way to the rest of his body. Flora's tender lips placed against his made Clive greedy for more of her. Using his free hand, he placed it on Flora's waist and pulled her up closer to himself. He could feel the warmth of their body's merging and melting into one as the kiss lingered. Flora felt herself become weak and she released her hands that were held tightly together to grip the front of Clive's blazer for support. Both Clive and Flora could now feel the warm and moist breath of the other across their cheek. They could also hear their hearts beating as one.

Clive's desire to continue was so strong but he could tell Flora was running out of breath.

Slowly and gently, Clive pulled his lips away from hers. Flora looked up into Clive's eyes before breaking their gaze and leaning even more against Clive's chest. Her breathing was still quick and her mind still blank from bliss. Clive placed his arms protectively around her as he also tried to catch his breath. Gradually, the world came back to them as their breathing and their heart beat slowed down.

The kiss spoke a thousand words for Flora. It could have taken days for Flora to accept comfort given through words. But this one kiss had only needed that one moment for her to feel so secure of and sure of Clive's promise.

Clive released her from his embrace but still held on to her arm.

"I promise you I will be by your side forever" he said earnestly.

Flora nodded, still unable to utter any words.

Then the two noticed that they had unintentionally grabbed the attention of the people within the area who were staring at them.

"Let's go home now..." Clive whispered to Flora.

The two sheepishly walked back to the apartment, their hands held together and their fingers intertwined with each others.

That night as the four of them were having dinner, the Professor noticed that Flora's attitude had brightened up back to its original state.

"It's good that you two are getting along again" the Professor commented as he took a bite out of his plate.

Flora was reminded of the kiss they shared earlier and began to go red.

In an effort to hide this Flora quickly said, "Yes! We are getting along fine. If you'll excuse me, I'm finished with my dinner."

Flora stood up and washed her plate before hurriedly making her way upstairs to her room. She shut the door behind her and jumped onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and squealing out of embarrassment. When she was done, she lifted her head and placed two fingers on her lips. Shortly after doing this, there was a knock on her door.

Quickly fixing her messy hair, she opened it slightly and popped her head out the side to see who it was. It was obviously Clive waiting in front of her door.

"What is it?" she asked shyly.

"Um...I just wanted to say goodnight" he replied awkwardly.

"Oh. Um, goodnight" Flora said returning the same awkwardness.

Just as she was closing her door, Clive stopped her by holding it open with his hand. He opened it wider and took a step closer to Flora. Leaning down, he kissed her sweetly on the forehead. Flora could feel her heart racing again.

"Goodnight" he said again after pulling away.

This time when Flora shut her door, she crawled straight under the covers and attempted to rid the images of their kiss popping into her mind so that she'd be able to sleep. Never before had she felt so nervous, shy, happy, embarrassed, comforted, and blissful in one moment. How in the world was she supposed to sleep?

In the end, Flora wasn't able to sleep, but she decided that the lack of sleep was worth remembering the beautiful memory that would change her life forever.

**OMG I was so embarrassed writing this. That was my first ever attempt at a kiss scene so I'm sorry if it's not quality! But I thought it was high time that they kiss **


End file.
